


Not Half Bad

by Defira



Series: Throw Your Arms Around Me (Or At Least Throw A Punch) [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-23
Updated: 2013-06-23
Packaged: 2017-12-15 22:09:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/854555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Defira/pseuds/Defira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Battle of the Citadel, the Alliance has much to celebrate- they have a place on the Council, they have a Spectre, they have a new Fleet Admiral, and they have a powerful presence on the galactic stage. To celebrate, the Systems Alliance throws a black tie gala, with Commander Elise Shepard as the guest of honour. </p>
<p>Elise isn't cut out for political affairs and rubbing elbows with wealthy Alliance benefactors, but thankfully she has old friends to help her through the night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Half Bad

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to asariboyfriend for letting Danny come to play

It’d been months since she’d woken up to feel someone curled up against her side. Shepard blinked groggily, perplexed at the lump in the bed beside her and the heat of another body keeping her warm- which, as it turned out, was just as well, given that the other body had stolen all the fucking blankets again.

She hadn’t missed this.

Elise kicked Danny violently, lifting herself blearily up onto one elbow. “We have _got_ to get a bigger fucking apartment,” she muttered, yawning widely.

Danny’s response was simply to tug the blankets closer around himself in a cocoon, leaving her bare legged and freezing. “You go find one then,” he murmured from beneath the mountain of blankets, “I’ll wait here.”

“You little shit,” she grumbled, climbing out of bed and shuffling towards the bathroom. 

“You’re the one on a Spectre salary, not me,” he called after her. “I’m only a lowly engineer...”

“You’re a senior fucking engineer, you ass, and you’re still bumming off your sister for somewhere to live.”

She locked the bathroom door and turned the water on as hot as she could bear it, letting the room fill with steam as she zoned out beneath the faucet. No nightmares last night that she could recall- that was three days in a row now. Each day that passed made it a little easier to deal with the horrors she’d faced pursuing Saren, and the skin crawling images from the beacon didn’t burn at the back of her mind with as much intensity.

The ache in her head from the weight of Sovereign’s presence was all but a memory now. 

She let the water run until her hands were wrinkled, swearing when her feet hit the cold tiles outside the shower stall. She dried off in a hurry, and then stumbled back out to the bedroom and dressed as quickly as she could. 

The mountain of blankets hiding Danny moved slightly. “Your thingy beeped while you were in there,” he mumbled.

She was halfway into a shirt. “Which thingy?” she asked, head popping out through the neck. “I have half a dozen thingys.”

“The thing thingy. With the beep.”

Elise paused by the foot of the bed and glared down at him. “One of the most brilliant minds in the galaxy,” she muttered, “wasted on an idiot.”

Yawning, she wandered out into the main room and saw the light on her private terminal flashing; slumping into the chair in front of the screen, she flicked through until she saw the source- she’d missed a call from Anderson. 

“God damn it, Danny,” she muttered, hastily clicking through to redial. You didn’t just sleep through a call from humanity’s first Councilor- even if he was an old friend and mentor.

_Especially_ since he was an old friend and mentor.

It only rang twice before Anderson picked up, the picture showing his immaculate office and pressed uniform; she felt a little self conscious about the state of the apartment and her lazy day clothes in comparison. 

_Please, gods, don’t let there be empty pizza boxes behind me._

“Shepard,” Anderson said warmly, his smile genuine, “I hope I didn’t wake you?”

“No, no, I was in the shower,” she said, biting back another yawn. She should have turned the coffee on before she’d made the call. “What can I do for you, sir?”

He didn’t answer her immediately, not that she minded the distraction. “Enjoying shore leave, Shepard?” he asked instead. “I imagine you’ve got a lot of sleep to catch up on after the last few months.”

She laughed and rubbed tiredly at her eyes. “I love how you know what I’m doing with my shore leave- is she off enjoying her newfound celebrity and partying into the wee hours of each day, or is she passed out on the couch eating leftovers and sleeping too much?”

He joined her in laughter. “Well, I was your commanding officer for long enough to know that you just aren’t a morning person, my dear.” He smiled and shook his head. “And sometimes even calling you an afternoon person is pushing it.”

Elise smiled. “Guilty as charged, sir.” She stretched, working the kinks out of her back. “It’s good, it’s good to be home, although I’m looking forward to getting busy again. I’m a bit too fidgety to stay in one spot for too long.” 

He sighed wistfully. “I know that feeling,” he said. “Getting out amongst the stars again... it’s good to plant your feet for awhile, find a place to clear your head, but sometimes... sometimes you just need to fly.”

“Amen to that, sir,” she said, still smiling. “Is there something in particular I can do for you? I don’t imagine you’re calling just to reminisce about days at the helm and my cat-like ability to nap.”

“Don’t you deny an old man his pleasures, young lady,” he said, chuckling. “But yes, I am calling for a particular reason. I wanted you to hear it from me, rather than getting the news in an impersonal email.”

Elise sat up a little straighter, alarm buzzing through her. “Is something wrong, sir?”

“What? Oh, no no, no, I didn’t mean to alarm you- my apologies Shepard.” He cleared his throat. “What I meant to say was, we’ve some exciting news, and I’d rather you heard it personally, because it’s the sort of thing you deserve to hear personally.

She relaxed back against the chair. “Okay, well, have at me.”

“I’ll be straight with you Shepard- there’s been a lot of flack coming in from the homeworld, about the decisions you made during the Battle of the Citadel. Now I don’t think for a second that anyone but you was capable of making the choice to save the Council, and your actions that day went beyond commendable and into sheer heroism.”

She went bright red and did her best not to squirm or duck her head. “Thank you, sir,” she said as evenly as possible. 

“And I’m not the only one who thinks so,” he continued, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “The Prime Minister’s office got in contact with me last night- seems you’ve been turning a lot of heads as of late.”

“I imagine if they could actually see me, I’d only be turning heads in horror.”

“As long as you’re wearing pants, I can’t imagine that’d be true.”

She scoffed, but she was smiling. “You old flatterer,” she said, but his words sent a soft warmth through her, and she found herself relaxing. Anderson had always been nothing but a staunch ally and a dear friend- she’d go so far as to think of him as a father figure, if she wasn’t worried that’d be overstepping boundaries a little. 

He held up his hands as if in retreat. “I can only speak the truth my old eyes tell me,” he said, his eyes twinkling merrily. “But onto more serious matters- there’s been a lot of changes in the last few months. The first human Spectre, a seat on the Council, the Alliance fleets turning the tide of the battle against Sovereign, a new military head... there’s a lot of good things happening for humanity right now, Shepard. And you’re the woman responsible for it.”

“All in a day’s work, sir.”

“You deserve the credit, kiddo- you’re far too humble for your own good.” He sighed fondly. “You’re a good kid, Elise, and you should be proud of what you’ve achieved.”

She laughed a little awkwardly, ducking her head. “I only got here thanks to the support of some damn fine people,” she said, trying to deflect the praise. 

“Regardless, it’s a good time for the Systems Alliance. The Prime Minister’s office is organising a political dinner to celebrate- old fashioned black tie affair. Speeches, dancing, the whole shebang, all in honour of the landmark achievements of humanity in the last year.” He smiled. “I’m sure you can guess who the guest of honour is.” 

She groaned. “Gods, please say I don’t have to give a speech,” she said desperately.

He chuckled. “I like how you presumed I was talking about you when I mentioned the guest of honour,” he said. “Could’ve been me, or Hackett. Could’ve been the Prime Minister.”

“You were leading into it,” she said. “You said everything _except_ ‘congratulations Shepard, you need to make a fool of yourself in front of politicians’.”

“I’m technically a politician now,” he said, mischief in his eyes. “Good to see you’re off to a good start.”

“ _You_ do not count,” she said pointedly.

He put a hand over his heart, grinning widely. “That cuts me, Shepard,” he said. “That cuts me to the bone.”

“I’m sure you’ll live,” she muttered. 

He laughed, shaking his head in amusement. “The doors open at seven thirty, and they’ll be serving dinner from eight,” he said. “It’s being held in the Tereshkova Memorial Ballroom at Parliament House- you know where it is?”

She rubbed at her eyes. “I haven’t been in there, but I know it,” she said. “Gods, Anderson, you drop this on me now? Thanks for the warning.”

“Sorry for that, kiddo- it’s a rather last minute arrangement. I need to head back to the Citadel soon, and the Prime Minister has obligations on Earth that were arranged prior to all of this. Think you can handle it?”

She smiled wanly. “What, drinks and dancing for a few hours with admirals and politicians? I’ll try to contain my desire to flee back to geth space.”

Anderson laughed. “That’s my girl. I’ll send the invites over via courier, so that you won’t have any trouble getting in. Not that you should, mind, but better to make everything official.”

“Invites, sir?”

“The invitation is for plus one, so you can bring a guest. If you have someone special squirrelled away, now would be a great time to drag them kicking and screaming into the spotlight with you.”

“You’re a terrible person, sir.”

“Only for you, kiddo, only for you.” He smiled fondly at her. “I’ll see you tonight- I’m sure you’ll look stunning.”

“Careful now,” she said, sitting forward as she reached for the screen to end the call, “maybe I’ll turn up in my slacks and a jacket.”

“Well, I don’t see how that negates my statement,” he said with a cheeky wink.

“ _Goodbye_ , Councilor,” she said pointedly, but she was smiling as she hung up. She ended the call, shaking her head and groaning. She sat back, her head tipping back until she was staring at the ceiling. 

“Really should have turned the coffee on before that call,” she muttered, rubbing a hand over her face. 

Sighing, she rolled out of the chair and headed back towards the bedroom. “Danny,” she yelled, “get out of bed. You need to buy a suit.”

***

“You look fat,” Danny said bluntly, coming into the bathroom behind her.

“Thanks, gorgeous,” she said absently, not even blinking at the insult as she carefully tried to even out her eyeliner. She stepped back from the mirror and assessed herself critically in the glass. “You look like you’re trawling for ass.”

Danny flipped up the collar on his new suit and reached up to run a hand through his already messy hair. “Excellent. I’m only going because you promised me drunk, easy marines.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she said, holding her hair brush to him. “Shore leave plus alcohol? You’ll have your pick of the litter.”

He looked scornfully at the hairbrush. “Well then, Paprika, I hope you find somewhere nice to sleep tonight, because I will be commandeering the bed for the sake of wild sex parties.”

“Oh, are you now?” She browsed through her makeup to find a lipstick, finally settling on a deep red that matched her dress. “What if I want to have wild sex parties?”

“Now, now, Elise, I’m pretty sure we both know that isn’t likely,” he said, coming up behind her and patting her consolingly on the back.

She rolled her eyes at him, a smile tugging at her lips. “You have _got_ to get your own apartment.”

“ _You_ have to get _us_ a bigger apartment,” he quipped instantly.

She began hunting through the mess on the bathroom counter, a frown on her face. “Have you seen my vermillion paste?”

“I ate it on my toast.”

“Ha ha, you’re so funny.” Digging through an old makeup purse, she found a tiny tub of old cosmetic. Dipping her finger into the red paste, she leaned in close to the mirror and pressed gently but firmly on the space between her eyebrows.

Satisfied with her appearance, Elise paused to dab perfume on her wrists and behind her ears, before sweeping her emergency makeup into her clutch. She had no idea how long they were expected to stay at the dinner, but it never hurt to be prepared for necessary touch ups throughout the night. “You were supposed to be keeping an eye out for our ride,” she said pointedly, heading back into the bedroom to dig out her shoes.

“I am,” he said, wandering past and flicking through something on his omni-tool. She assumed he’d hacked the building’s security system again. “They got here about a minute ago.”

“What? Well you could have said something!”

“I did. I said you looked fat.”

“God damn it Danny.”

She scooped up her shoes and headed for the door, rolling her eyes at the cheeky grin on his face. When they got into the elevator she grabbed hold of him and used him for balance while she wedged herself into her shoes. 

“You’re way too stressed,” he said shrewdly, sensibly holding his arm out as extra support while she struggled with the left shoe. “It’s just dinner.”

“Of course it’s not just dinner,” she huffed, straightening and adjusting her dress. “There’s politicians, and there’s all the brass, and gods only know how long it’ll take until someone thinks it’s appropriate to mention sacrificing so many Alliance soldiers to-”

“If someone does that, I can doctor some compromising photos later tonight and discreetly release them to every major news network.”

She smiled at him tiredly. “Don’t do that,” she said. “I’m touched, but no. They’ve got every reason to ask. Gods know I ask myself every day what right I had to send them off to their deaths.”

“Hey,” he said, booping her on the nose. “You look gorgeous, and gorgeous people don’t have to worry about that sort of stuff.”

“Ass kissing suck up.”

“Painted tart.”

There was a shuttle waiting out the front of the apartment complex, just as Danny had said, and they climbed into the back for the short journey to Parliament House. 

“Hey Danny,” she said once they were in the air, “thanks for coming.”

He shrugged. “Free food and hot soldier boys in dress uniform? I ain’t gonna say no to that.”

She grinned, and nudged his foot with hers. “Love you,” she said in a teasing singsong voice.

There was a crowd of people gathered by the steps of the parliament building, and as their shuttle drew closer Elise could see that they were reporters. The flash of cameras made her groan, but that was nothing compared to Danny’s reaction; the moment he spotted them, he swore under his breath and began unbuttoning his suit jacket.

“Danny,” she hissed, looking over her shoulder at the waiting crowd outside the shuttle windows as they landed. “Danny, what the hell are you doing?”

“You _know_ I don’t like having my picture taken!” he snapped, tugging the jacket up over his head until not even a tuft of his painfully red hair was visible. 

“Danny-”

“Fuck, Elise, you know there are bad people in my past. I’m not taking that risk.”

The shuttle door swung up and open, and the cameras went crazy. Elise blinked and held her hand up to block the worst of the flashes, smiling as she tried to step out onto the red carpet. Thankfully, security came up and cleared the way for her, and she could breathe a little easier without the crush around her.

Danny slid out of the shuttle after her onto the red carpet, jacket tugged firmly over his head- and then he stopped to wave merrily at the crowd of reporters, slipping his arm around Elise’s waist quite familiarly.

“Danny, what the hell?”

“I wanna see how many news outlets have us splashed across them by the end of the night with titles like ‘ _Commander’s secret boy toy! What exactly is she trying to hide?_ ’ because come on, that would be _hilarious_.”

She waved to the cameras and tried not to jump when he made an obvious show of grabbing her ass. “I’m going to kill you, you know that?” she hissed under her breath.

“It was going to happen eventually,” he said merrily, his voice muffled from inside the jacket. “At least now I know I’ll die having trolled several million people across the galaxy, if not more.”

She led him up the steps as quickly as possible without making it look like they were running from the press; once they were inside the foyer and safely out of sight, Danny popped back into view, his hair irretrievably disheveled and a smug grin on his face. Elise couldn’t help herself- she burst out laughing. There were a half dozen other guests making their way through the lobby towards the ballroom, and just as many security personnel, and all of them turned to look at the pair of them.

“So much for subtlety,” she said, reaching out to pat futilely at his hair. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

He shrugged, buttoning his jacket back into place. “There’s a difference,” he said, tugging the collar back up at a ridiculous angle and striking a pose. “Out there, it’s a problem. In here, I’m just the mysterious stranger with the charisma to charm Commander Shepard herself.” 

She cuffed him over the back of the head. “I _will_ make you sleep on the couch tonight,” she said warningly.

There were enough gilded signs to direct them to the right end of the building, and plenty of security when that failed. They followed the growing sounds of the crowd, a distant murmur that grew louder as they descended the grand staircase and headed towards the ballroom. The massive doors were open this time, unlike the other times Elise had had occasion to wander past, and she stood on tiptoes to sneak a look into the room while they waited patiently for security to confirm their invitations. 

A young woman in a smartly pressed marine uniform by the door smiled widely at them as they approached. “Good evening, Commander Shepard,” she said, scrolling through a datapad to find her name. “We’re very excited to have you with us tonight.”

And with that, she waved them on through, already turning to the couple waiting behind them.

Elise had to admit, she was impressed- for a last minute arrangement, it certainly was well put together. She felt a pang of sympathy for whatever overworked aides and personal assistants had been lumped with planning this on such a tight deadline. The ballroom was built up against the side of the torus, and the floor to ceiling windows looked out over the marvellous vista of Arcturus System. The station was facing away from the star the system was named for, giving them a magnificent backdrop of stars, but Arcturus would come into view soon enough with the rotation of the space station. 

The ballroom itself had been styled to match the backdrop- the Alliance black and silver featuring prominently throughout the room. Black tablecloths with silver trim, fine silver cutlery and far more wine glasses per seat than she knew what to do with. There was a glittering chandelier hanging overhead, and it was quite possibly larger than her bedroom back in her tiny apartment. There was a band to one side of the podium at the front of the room, playing soft background music. The room was already teeming with people- dignitaries and politicians in fine evening wear, high ranking military officials in white dress uniforms. Everything was so ridiculously elegant, and Elise nearly put her hand up to her jaw to check that she wasn’t gaping like a country cousin. 

“Holy shit,” Danny breathed at her side. “Normally I go to parties and I’m impressed if they have two types of chips out.”

“I’m almost fairly certain there won’t be any chips here tonight,” she said softly. “Like, ninety five percent certain.”

“I’ll take that five percent chance,” Danny said, his head twisting every which way as he tried to take everything in. “Oh hell yeah, there’s a bar. Do you suppose this is an open bar, or will I have to pay?”

“I’ve got no idea,” Shepard said, spotting Anderson standing beside a table talking to striking blonde woman, whose body language seemed to indicate they were more than casual acquaintances. “Look, I can see Anderson, why don’t we just-”

She glanced back over her shoulder to find herself talking to thin air; Danny had already vanished. Elise sighed, irritated more than she probably had a right to be. He didn’t like large gatherings of people, and she couldn’t blame him most of the time; she’d asked a lot of him to come out tonight. 

Someone special squirrelled away, Anderson had said teasingly; Elise grimaced. She hadn’t been _squirrelled_ in far too fucking long, and as for someone special? Last someone special in her life had been back in Rio, and he’d only made it to N5 before he’d had to drop out of the ICT program. And that’d been, what, four years ago? 

Now she was the saviour of the galaxy and she was going to parties with her adopted brother on her arm.

_Smooth, Shepard._

Anderson spotted her when she was halfway across the room towards him, and threw open his arms in welcome, crossing to meet her.

“Not half bad, Shepard,” he said, grinning from ear to ear as he approached. He laughed at the look she threw him, but she didn’t object when he offered her a hug. “Not bad at all.”

She smiled, her lips brushing against his cheek in greeting. “You brush up alright yourself, old man.”

He squeezed her tight and she couldn’t help but laugh, returning the gesture, arms tight around his shoulders. “Have you been here long?” he asked when he set her back down again, smiling warmly. “Had the chance to talk to anyone yet?”

“I haven’t even had a chance to sit _down_ yet,” she said, glancing over her shoulder for Danny. “We got here a few minutes ago-”

“That’s alright, I’ll show you around. You’re sitting on the table next to mine anyway.” 

He began to lead her towards the front of the room, and she eyed the podium suspiciously as they drew closer. 

“Do your best to avoid Udina,” Anderson said under his breath, his hand behind Shepard’s elbow as he steered her through the crowd. “You’re not precisely his favourite person in the galaxy right now.”

“I can’t imagine why,” she muttered in response, following obediently in his wake. The room was crowded with dignitaries, many of whom looked vaguely familiar to her- she assumed she’d seen them on a news broadcast or the like. “It’s not like I accidentally sabotaged his career or anything.”

When he glanced back at her, she adopted her most innocent expression, and snickered when he laughed resignedly at her. “Just be careful what you say tonight, Shepard,” he said, stopping at the table closest to the podium and gesturing to one of the chairs. “I believe that one has your place card on it.”

She quickly dropped her clutch onto the seat in question and tucked it out of sight, turning back to him. “I’m assuming we don’t sit immediately,” she said, looking around at the crowded ballroom. “Unless I’m allowed to be a trendsetter owing to my guest of honour status?”

He chuckled and took her by the elbow again, leading her forward. “First, we play the political game.”

“I never win at that one.”

“You should have thought of that before you made me Councilor. Come on kiddo, chin up- just smile and be your usual charming self.”

His first target was a man that Elise knew quite well by sight, if never having seen him in person herself. “Shepard, I don’t believe you’ve met Prime Minister Shastri,” Anderson said, guiding her towards political head of the Systems Alliance. “Prime Minister, may I introduce Commander Elise Shepard?”

A middle aged man with skin a few shades darker than her own turned to greet them, smiling widely as pressed his palms together and bowed slightly. “Namaste, Commander,” he said. “We are so very glad you could join us on such short notice.”

Elise smiled warmly at the greeting. “Namaste, Prime Minister,” she said, bowing respectfully with her hands held together. “I was so very honoured just to be invited, sir. I’m just a simple soldier girl from the colonies- this is all a bit beyond my experience.”

“Nonsense, there’s nothing simple about you, Commander. What you’ve done for humanity and the galaxy at large these past few months is nothing short of spectacular.”

She laughed a little awkwardly. “Just doing my job, sir.”

“I’m sure we’d be hard pressed to find anyone who could do your job, especially not with the same tact and grace.”

“Shepard is certainly one in a million,” Anderson said, winking ever so slightly at her. 

“Actually, while I think of it,” Shastri said, “since you’ve mentioned your background I wanted to ask- were you born on Mindoir?”

Elise bit back a wince. “Born and raised,” she said. “My mother’s family migrated about eighteen months prior to that.”

“Northern India?”

“Nepal, actually.” 

“Ah, I should have picked it. Here, let me fetch you a drink.” He waved over one of the attendants, who stood patiently while Shastri picked out two glasses from the tray. 

“My grandparents were from Jhapa District in Mechi,” she continued, accepting the drink graciously. “Although I have to say, I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing the area in person.”

“I know Mechi,” he said, taking quick mouthful of the wine. “I have an aunt who lives in Bihar, not far from the border. Although, as you say, I have not had the pleasure of seeing the area in person.”

They indulged in small talk for a few minutes, until Anderson and Shastri became involved in a discussion about embassy funding that she couldn’t really contribute to; she felt her attention beginning to drift when she felt a hand on her elbow.

“Shepard.” The voice alone was enough to have a shiver roll down her spine, and she turned with a smile to find Admiral Hackett standing behind her. There was an appreciative look in his eyes as he returned her smile. “It’s good to see you- you look stunning.”

“I could say the same for you,” she said earnestly, a little taken aback by how very true that admittance was. She’d always had a vague sort of appreciation for the Admiral, stupid girlish crush that it was, and the last few months reporting to him directly had certainly increased her admiration for him as a colleague, especially when he’d been so understanding after the incident over Terra Nova. But this... the kernel of warmth in her belly was definitely _not_ the platonic fondness one should feel for a colleague. 

Especially not when that colleague was the newly appointed Fleet Admiral and highest ranking man in the Alliance military, no matter how good he looked in a crisp white dress uniform. 

She swallowed back the sudden wave of nerves and smiled warmly at him. He stepped in closer to greet her, and she tried her best not to read too much into it he pecked her quickly on the cheek. She returned the gesture, her lips glancing over his skin; she went bright red when she pulled away and realised she’d left a tiny red lipstick mark on his cheek. 

“Oh, um.” She reached for him, before realising how inappropriate it was to grab at an Admiral in public, and dropped her hand as if she’d burnt it. “You’ve, ah... I left a little bit of...”

Thank every god in the cosmos, he seemed to garner her meaning from her fumbling attempts to explain herself, and reached up to his cheek. He laughed when he saw the faint red on his fingertips. “You do like to leave your mark on the world, Shepard,” he said, and she blinked when she realised that Admiral Hackett was _flirting with her_.

“What can I say?” she said, flashing him a mischievous grin. “I see something I like, I like to leave an impression.”

_Oh my gods, woman, you did not just say that to the Fleet Admiral._

She was desperately hoping the ground would open up and swallow her when he laughed. “I’m not going to argue with that,” he said, his smile doing interesting things to her. “I’ve seen too much evidence to think that arguing would do me any good.”

“That’s not to say I don’t take orders as required,” she said desperately, trying to salvage the situation. “I’m very good at taking orders...”

_Chik, Elise, just shut up._

He didn’t laugh, but the interest in his eyes flared. “Of that I have no doubt,” he said, kind enough not to take advantage of her slip. “You’ve performed above and beyond the call of duty for as long as I’ve known you.”

“That’s kind of you to say, sir, but if it’s alright with you, I might go and hide under a table right about now.” She took a rather large swallow of the wine, hoping her face wasn’t immensely red.

Hackett laughed, and his hand came to rest on her shoulder. “You needed worry about doing that, Shepard,” he said warmly. “I’m not going to be offended by the odd stumble or two.”

“I’m very much not cut out for these types of affairs,” she said miserably, her mind immediately traipsing down dirty paths at the thought of affairs. “At the very least, I’m glad I have you and Anderson nearby- gods only know what will happen if I’m left to my own devices. I’ll probably have the Alliance descending into civil war before the night is through.”

“You’re too hard on yourself, Shepard. No one is expecting you to be a diplomat. Relax.”

“That’s easy for you to say- you’ve been doing this for, what, twenty years?”

He gave her a look. “I wasn’t always an officer, you know,” he said dryly. “I had to start somewhere too- and that meant that I had to go to stuffy, formal events where I didn’t know a god damn person and had no idea how to talk to people.”

“I consider that an invitation to shadow you all night and take notes.”

He laughed and leaned in closer, his voice little more than a whisper. “Now now, Shepard, if you’d wanted to spend all night in my company, you should have just asked.”

The thrill his words sent through her had her fumbling for words- and her chance to offer up a witty response was lost when the compere stepped up to the podium and invited them all to take their seats in preparation for dinner to be served. Hackett winked at her, ever so slightly and then murmured an apology as he headed towards the other side of the podium. 

So Hackett wasn’t sitting at her table either. That was good. That was very good, she told herself. She wasn’t disappointed at all, especially not after his last comment. Nope, not disappointed at all. She’d be able to enjoy her dinner without distraction, and that was a good thing. 

“Chik, Elise, you’re a terrible liar,” she muttered as she headed back to her own table and slid into her seat.

“I could have told you that,” Danny said, materialising out of thin air. He was holding an abomination of a cocktail, a tall glass with a riot of rainbow coloured layers within. When he saw her critical look he said “What? I’m not going to drink it. I just wanted to see what the stupidest and most expensive thing on the menu was.”

“And that’s it?”

“No. The most expensive thing on the menu was some wine, I hate wine.”

“So what are you drinking if you’re not going to drink that?”

“I asked them to bring me a soda float.”

She gave him a droll look. “You’re at dinner with the most powerful human beings in the galaxy and you asked for ice cream and soda?”

“I wanted to see if they’d do it.”

The dinner was relatively uneventful, although Danny did try to steal one of her profiteroles when dessert was served. The Senator from Mindoir looked scandalised by their behaviour, but Danny blithely confessed to being Shepard’s personal food taster and bodyguard. Looking at the size difference between the two of them, the Senator looked unconvinced but chose not to pursue the discussion when Elise didn’t correct the lie. 

Towards the end, when the staff were clearing away the dessert plates and offering coffee and tea, the speeches began. Shastri was first, his words peppered with the typical enthusiastic platitudes and crowd rousing gallantry as he expressed his thanks and commended the achievements of the last few months. Anderson followed him, his speech much more low key and humble, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity that had been placed before him and humanity as a whole. 

Hackett came next, and Elise found herself leaning forward slightly, smiling to herself at the sound of his voice and then hastily trying to cover that smile when she realised the bulk of his speech was dedicated to the soldiers who’d died at the Battle of the Citadel. That wouldn’t exactly go down well if someone thought she was grinning madly at the thought of Alliance casualties. 

Like with Shastri and Anderson, there was polite applause at the end of Hackett’s speech and he nodded his thanks as he returned to his seat. Elise could have sworn he glanced in her direction, but it was hard to tell with the dim lighting in the room. 

“And now, our final guest of honour for this evening,” the compere said, “Commander Elise Shepard.”

“Don’t swear,” Danny called after her as she headed for the podium amidst the applause. “Or if you do, make sure it’s embarrassing. Fall over and take the podium with you.”

She resisted the urge to flip him off, because that wasn’t precisely the best thing to do in a room full of the most powerful men and women in the Alliance. Against Danny’s wishes, she managed not to trip over the skirts of her dress as she climbed the steps to the microphone, and then found herself blinking into the spotlight as the applause died down and the room waited for her to speak. 

“Good evening,” she said, swallowing down the worst of her nerves. “I’ll apologise for not being as eloquent a public speaker as the gentlemen who came before me, but I won’t torment you for long.”

There was a smattering of laughter, and she consoled herself with the fact that at least her joke amused some people in the crowd.

“I consider myself privileged to stand before you tonight, as a soldier, as a Spectre, and as a proud citizen of the Systems Alliance. There are many people I owe thanks to, and I’m afraid we would be here for hours if I was to name them all individually, but first and foremost I want to pay tribute to the men and women who gave their lives to defeat Sovereign. They gave their all, so that we might have the opportunity to live free, and for that I do not have the words to thank them enough.”

There was a round of polite applause at her words, and she waited for it to die down before continuing. 

“This is a golden age for humanity, a time of great prosperity and unprecedented accomplishment and expansion,” she said, thankful that the bright lights aimed towards the podium made it all but impossible for her to see out into the crowd. “This time we have been given is a gift, and we should not squander it. We are still newcomers on the galactic stage, and we must always remember to be conscientious citizens. 

“We must be leaders, but we must not be without compassion. We must be pioneers, but we must not be without vigilance. We must treat our allies with the respect we ourselves hope to earn, and above all else, we must take pride in the achievements we have made, and remember that no victory comes without cost.”

She licked her lips nervously before continuing. “The threat that the Reapers pose to the galaxy is by no means over,” she said. “And we must be ever vigilant if we are to preserve a future for our children, and their children. To that end, I am proud to serve humanity as a soldier and as a Spectre, and I will continue to lead the fight against any aggression brought against us.”

She fumbled for an intelligent way to end, and instead blurted out “And, uh, thank you.”

Thankfully her floundering attempt to end the speech didn’t seem to detract from the message, because the crowd burst into applause, far more enthusiastically than they had for either of the three men before her. She smiled in relief, waving weakly as she tried her best not to look like she was fleeing from the microphone. 

“Thank you, Commander Shepard, for those inspiring words.” The compere added his own applause to that of the room, and then continued as she made her way back to her table. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, the serious part of the evening draws to a close, and now we can all have some fun. We are lucky enough to have with us the very fine Ms Mariana Carrizo and her orchestra, all the way from Brazil and ready to entertain us and help us dance the night away. So, on behalf of the Systems Alliance and the office of Prime Minister Shastri, we’d like to thank you for joining us tonight to celebrate humanity, and please- enjoy the rest of your evening!”

Elise dropped back into her chair and let out the breath she’d been holding, slumping back in a most unladylike pose as the music started up behind them.

“That was a really boring speech,” Danny said, and she glared at him. “I’m pretty sure Elcor sound more interesting than that.”

“Where the hell did you get an ice cream sundae?”

“I asked for it.”

People were beginning to move onto the dance floor, and Elise looked over at Danny warily. “Do you want to dance?”

“Well, maybe,” he said, shoving a heaped spoon of ice cream into his mouth. “But after dessert.”

“I’m sure I could be of assistance in the meantime,” said a familiar voice at her elbow, and she glanced up to find Hackett standing beside her, holding his hand out invitingly. “May I have this dance, Elise?”

Hearing him speak her name sent a shiver over her skin, and the embers of heat in her belly turned to an outright blaze when she took his waiting hand. “I hope you can forgive the fact that I cannot dance to save my life,” she said warningly, as he led her out towards the dancefloor. 

“Don’t worry,” he said, his smile making her stomach quiver. “I’m not too bad at it.”

“I’ve been meaning to say, sir,” she said, smiling as he slid his hand around her hip and pulled her close. The band began to play a new song, and he stepped expertly into the rhythm of the music, coaxing her to follow him. “Congratulations on the promotion- I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving, or more fitting for the role.”

His scar moved whenever he smiled, she realised; she had an absurd desire to press a kiss to it, and see if it would move beneath the touch of her lips. “Thank you, Commander,” he said. “And might I say, congratulations on your induction into the Spectres- I haven’t exactly had the chance to commend you in person. You’ve had an eventful few months.”

She returned the smile and tried to keep her hand flat on the back of his shoulder- the urge to let her fingers play and stroke the back of his neck was quite strong. “What, hunting down a rogue Spectre and fighting the Geth and rescuing the Council and stopping an invasion from dark space? I thought that was just my probation training. The beginners course.”

His laugh sent a wave of warmth through her. “I’m glad you can find the humour in it all, Shepard,” he said. “There’s plenty of men and women who would have been crushed by the pressure.”

Her fingers curled against his shoulder. “I came close, a time or two,” she said softly, glancing up at him. “Thankfully, I had people there to talk me down.”

He was silent for a moment, the music swelling around them; she felt his hand tighten slightly around hers. “Did you ever make that appointment?” he asked quietly, lowering his voice so they couldn’t be heard by any nearby dancers.

She nodded, unable to maintain eye contact under the scrutiny of his gaze. “Next Thursday,” she said. She hesitated, and he laced his fingers through hers, never breaking step with the dance. “I’ve been meaning to thank you, actually. For your understanding.”

“Mm,” he said thoughtfully; she could feel his eyes on her still. “I’ve always been of the opinion that a good leader needs a healthy dose of compassion, but there comes a point when you need to put your foot down. The two aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.”

“I want to say thank you for putting your foot down on me, but on closer inspection, that sounds terrible.”

His laughter made her grin, and they lapsed into silence again. He was an excellent dancer, just as promised, and the few times that she fumbled didn’t even make him blink.

“Red suits you, Shepard,” he said abruptly, his hand warm on the small of her back as he led her through the turn. “You should wear it more often.”

She laughed softly, surprised but delighted by the compliment. “That’s rather familiar, don’t you think sir?” This close to him she could smell the faintest hint of his cologne, something warm and spicy. “Should I take that as an order, or as a request?”

She went to step the wrong way and he eased her back into the rhythm without missing a beat. “I wouldn’t dream of making such a forward request to such an outstanding soldier,” he said, and there was something mischievous in his eyes. “An order, though, well...”

“I am _very_ good at following orders, sir,” she quipped, her cheeks colouring even as she grinned.

The music came to a close, and for a moment Hackett didn’t let go of her. She found that she didn’t seem to mind all that much. But then he was stepping away from her, and his smile was friendly but not intimate, as it had been a moment ago. “I don’t doubt it,” he said softly. “Thank you for the dance, Elise.”

She felt suddenly bereft, as if she’d said something wrong and offended him, and she hesitated for a moment before saying “You’re most welcome, sir.”

The evening wore on- she danced a time or two with Danny, and once with Anderson. She noticed that he spent a great deal of time with the blonde woman she’d spotted him with earlier in the night. Danny bemoaned the lack of single men, and cast her filthy looks for the rest of the night. She managed a few relatively intelligent conversations with various dignitaries, and to the best of her knowledge she didn’t manage to offend anyone. 

It was, in all, a rather successful evening. 

It was close to midnight when the crowds began to thin a little, and people began to make their way home. Danny’s attempts to harass the bar staff had finally come to a head, and they’d left him with an entire tub of ice cream and instructions not to ask for anymore elaborate desserts or drinks. He was sitting by himself at the table, feet up on one of the other chairs, consoling himself over the lack of available dance partners with the ice cream. 

The band was still going, although the music was much slower now, the evening winding to a close. Elise was chatting to Anderson when she felt a hand on her elbow, and turned to find Hackett beside her for the second time that night. 

“Anderson,” he said, nodding to the other man, “I hate to interrupt, but Shepard and I have an unfinished conversation to see to. Mind if I borrow her for a song?”

Anderson gestured elaborately towards the dancefloor. “By all means.”

“Do I get a say in this at all?” she asked, as Hackett’s fingers slid down her back and gently guided her forwards, leading her back towards the dancefloor. 

The corner of his mouth quirked up, as if he was fighting a smile. “My apologies, Shepard,” he said, taking her hand in his and pulling her close- much closer than he had been the first time. She was flush against him, no space between them at all, and his hand seemed determined not to stay still in the small of her back. “That was rude of me.”

She swallowed back the wave of lust that hit her, closing her eyes as she let him guide her through the steps. “I’m sure I’ll find it in my heart to forgive you,” she said, very aware of every single place that her body was touching his. “It’d make it hard to maintain a working relationship if we weren’t on speaking terms, after all.”

“Is there anything I could do to speed the process along?”

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. “You could always take me to dinner,” she said softly, feeling the way he tensed beneath her touch at the suggestion. “I always find food to be excellent at building bridges.”

He didn’t answer immediately, and she felt horrified to think that she might have crossed an invisible line and made some unforgivable indiscretion.

But to hell with it- the idea was in her head now, and she couldn’t shake it.

“There are political ramifications to consider, of course,” she said; they were so close now that she barely had to whisper, her lips feathering over his cheek as she spoke. “Whether or not a Council Spectre can maintain her neutrality when she has... _invested_ so much of herself in the Alliance.”

His hand was still in the small of her back, but his fingers had shifted just a fraction lower than before, and it made her shiver and tighten her hold on his other hand. To the outside observer, they were simply dancing- the newly promoted Admiral and the much lauded Spectre, two people who had achieved marvellous heights from humble beginnings. 

But there was nothing simple about the touch of his hand on her back, or the faint curve of a smile on his face. 

“Perhaps,” he finally murmured, just as softly, drawing her back to the present. “Or perhaps the more pertinent consideration should be- why the hell should that stop two colleagues from enjoying each other’s company over dinner?”

She could feel his lips against her ear, and she fought to keep a straight face. Even if the room was dark, she didn’t want to take chances. “That’s rather frank of you, sir.”

He chuckled, and it sent a jolt of desire straight through her. “Maybe I’ve simply had enough to drink to make me feel more comfortable taking risks.”

“Am I a risk, sir?”

For a long moment, he said nothing, and she found herself holding her breath. The song was winding to a close, and they wouldn’t have another opportunity to dance without drawing attention to themselves- twice in one night was already pushing it. When he finally answered, the touch of his lips against her ear nearly made her gasp. 

“You should know I haven’t made it this far in my career without _taking_ risks,” he said, the wicked way that he whispered it leaving no doubt in her mind that he intended the double entendre.

Gods, she wanted to kiss him so badly. 

“Dinner,” she whispered, her mouth brushing over his cheek as she spoke, a poor stand in for the kiss she wanted to give. She felt like she was on fire, like she was about to burst out of her skin with desperate need. “When?”

“I have a tour of the fleets for the next few weeks to assess damage and troop losses; I won’t be free for at least two weeks.”

She bit back the urge to groan in frustration. “My next tour of duty starts in eleven days,” she whispered, her fingers creeping up past his collar to his hair. “I’ll be gone for a month.”

“First night back?”

“The ninth.”

“Dinner. My place. That’s an order- you happen to be good at following orders, don’t you?”

She sucked in a breath, trembling. “So I’ve been told,” she whispered. 

It was dark, she told herself, and people had been drinking for hours. Nobody was watching the dancers, she told herself, and this late in the evening most people had gone home or were making their way to the door. Surely if she just tried to surreptitiously sneak in a kiss, no one would be the wiser. 

“That’s what I was hoping to hear,” he murmured, and then he tilted his head just a fraction and captured her mouth with his. 

***

Several weeks later, when the last of the survivors had been collected, when the last of the evacuation shuttles had been accounted for and Elise was definitely not among them, he made the most difficult call of his life. 

Commander Elise Shepard, captain of the Normandy and Council Spectre, missing and presumed dead in the line of duty. She had no commanding officers, no one more superior to her than him- she was all but outside the chain of command, her Spectre status placing her in a peculiar position within the Alliance. 

And so he declared Elise Shepard lost, and kept up the mask of Admiral until he was alone, with nothing to keep him company through the long night but a bottle of whiskey.

And later, when he was strong enough, he went back to his electronic diary and deleted the dinner date.


End file.
